Eating habits must change to protect people and planet

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New FCRN report - Changing what we eat: A call for research & action on widespread adoption of sustainable healthy eating

Government leadership and substantial investment in research are needed to shift global consumption habits towards eating patterns that are both healthy and sustainable, say academics, industry and NGOs representatives in a new report.

Research is now needed in three key areas, say those involved in the report:

What are healthy sustainable eating patterns?

How do we eat now, why, and what are the health and sustainability implications?

How do we achieve positive change?

Experts say global trends in eating habits – including increasing meat consumption in many parts of the world - are detrimental both to the environment and to human health, and that a significant shift in consumption practices among high consuming populations is needed. The food system contributes to some 20-30 per cent of human-generated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is the leading cause of deforestation, land and soil degradation and biodiversity loss, accounts for 70 per cent of all human water use and is a major source of water pollution.

Livestock rearing, for meat and dairy products, carries a particularly high environmental cost, accounting for some 15 per cent of global GHG emissions. At the same time, current eating patterns, alongside other lifestyle factors, are putting an unsustainable burden on health services around the world. While meat and animal products can be an important source of nutrients for many, high and growing intakes are associated with a range of chronic diseases.

The report’s lead author, Dr Tara Garnett of the FCRN, says a focus on consumption - on eating more sustainably - is urgently needed. “There have been important efforts to improve the sustainability of food production in recent years. But while these production-side measures are necessary, they are not by themselves sufficient. To address the multiple environmental, health and societal challenges we face we also need to adopt eating patterns that have lower environmental impacts, deliver broader societal benefits, and support good health.”

Dr Garnett added: “Action for sustainable eating will always be a shared responsibility across industry, academics, civil society and consumers and there is a growing willingness by many to engage in this challenge. But there is an urgent need for political leadership to set the direction of travel and to provide support.

“We also need substantial government-backed investment in research to improve our understanding of how we can actually change patterns of consumption.”

The report is based on the discussions of a workshop organised by the Food Climate Research Network, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the UK’s multi-agency Global Food Security programme. For the workshop powerpoints and discussion papers see here.